Nellie Bly

Popularly known by her pen name Nellie Bly, Elizabeth Cochran was an American journalist and writer who was a pioneer in the field of investigative journalism. She started a new trend in reporting that earned her recognition as an undercover reporter. At a time when women reporters were generally restricted to ‘women’s page’ reporting, Bly covered wider issues beyond just gardening or lifestyle and concentrated on slum life and other important topics. Though most of her works were based on throwing light at the appalling condition of women in the society, and the need to uplift them, she is best remembered for her work on an asylum exposé in 1887 in which she faked insanity to get into a mental asylum and reported about the horrific condition of the mental patients. Also, her 1889 record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg, was a historic move for a woman at that time.